The surface did not deteriorate much, contrary to its roughed-up appearance, but it was still a tough one, according to R Ashwin and Tom Latham

Sidharth Monga in Indore10-Oct-20162:32

‘In rhythm, I can beat any batsman in the world’ – Ashwin

Even if you don’t go looking for it, you get comments on pitches in India. Before this Test began, in response to a photo of the pitch tweeted by the BCCI, Harbhajan Singh, India’s most successful offspinner, tweeted it looked like a two-day-old pitch already, and predicted a finish in three-and-a-half days. With India batting for almost two days, people on Twitter began to ridicule Harbhajan. His response was to wait and watch for the turn, and that he got such turners only twice – Kanpur 2008 and Mumbai 2004 – in his whole career in India. He reckoned his and Anil Kumble’s wicket tally would have been “something else” if they got the pitches India have been playing on in the last “four” years.If this was unsolicited, R Ashwin’s first answer at a press conference after completing his 20th five-wicket haul, which bowled New Zealand out for 299, was to mention how difficult a pitch it was. He was asked how important the other bowlers were – Ashwin got six, he ran two batsmen out, and Ravindra Jadeja got two wickets – and he looked bemused. He seemed to stop himself from answering sarcastically lest it be misconstrued, and said, “It was very important. It was a very, very difficult wicket to bowl on. The way Shami and Umesh bowled in the morning, they never let go of the steam. Especially Umesh bowled very quick through the day. Hopefully they can get some good returns in the second innings.”Tom Latham, the only man besides Rohit Sharma to have scored a half-century in each of the Tests, was presented a similar sentiment by a journalist. He was asked if he agreed the pitch didn’t offer much turn or didn’t crack up. Latham’s response was sharp too. “Not sure what game you’re watching,” Latham retorted. “Certainly starting to turn. Lot of footmarks there. Might not be cracking up so much but there are dust and a lot of footmarks for bowlers to work with. They’ll be targeting those in the second innings so got to find a way of rectifying that.”The truth about the pitch might be somewhere in between. It is not the classic Indian pitches that Harbhajan bowled a lot on during his day, but it hasn’t turned out to be like Nagpur last year or even Kanpur this year. At the outset this looked a lot like the Kanpur pitch with a lot of cracks and expected to turn sharply from day two. It certainly hasn’t because India have now been officially warned for two players – not in the act of bowling – running on the danger zone despite cautionary warnings from the umpires. Latham said it was not something they could worry.”Out of our hands as players,” Latham said. “We’ve got nothing to do with it, it’s up to the umpires. They make the call.”1:15

‘A very hard wicket to start on’ – Latham

However, it was wicketkeeper BJ Watling, who alerted the umpires just before M Vijay was officially warned for running on the danger area when batting on the third evening. On the second evening, Jadeja’s transgression after three warnings – two informal and one official – had resulted in a five-run penalty for India and three demerit points for Jadeja. India didn’t contest the charge, and Jadeja stands one demerit point short of being suspended for a Test or two limited-overs internationals.Latham chose to not get involved when asked if he felt it was deliberate. “It’s cricket,” he said. “Guys are going to walk on the wicket. We’ve got a big job to do in the second innings. Going to focus on that.”India clearly feel the pitch needs to deteriorate more, which is one of the reasons why they didn’t enforce the follow-on. Let there be more overs on it, let it bake more in the sun, and then give New Zealand somewhere around five sessions to bat to save this Test. Ashwin said they were going to take a call on when to make the declaration in the middle session on day four. He felt the pitch could do with some more wear and tear.”We’re just giving it every chance to wear over the time that we bat on over the next session or two,” Ashwin said. “And see how it turns out. But from one side, from the Pavilion End, there is a lot of rough. From the other end it’s not spinning a lot. Hopefully it will deteriorate.”

Steve O’Keefe’s nightmarish start to the season has escalated further, with a broken finger ruling the New South Wales and Australia left-arm spinner out of the Matador Cup

Daniel Brettig06-Oct-2016

Steve O’Keefe’s nightmarish start to the season has escalated further, with a broken finger ruling the New South Wales and Australia left-arm spinner out of the Matador Cup.The injury took place in a Sydney grade match before the domestic limited-overs tournament began, when O’Keefe went for a catch while playing for Manly-Warringah. O’Keefe had only recently returned to playing after a hamstring injury had ruled him out of the Test tour of Sri Lanka midway through the first match of the series at Pallekele.On his return home, O’Keefe was fined $10,000 by NSW after being handed an infringement notice by NSW police for offensive behaviour and refusing to leave the premises of a Manly pub. The NSW coach Trent Johnston summed up a tough period for O’Keefe, who remains in the forefront of the national selectors’ minds for next year’s Test tour of India.”It’s hugely disappointing for him,” Johnston said. “He had overcome the injury that ruled him out of the Sri Lanka tour and was back to full fitness and enjoying his cricket. Sokkie will come back, he’ll keep working on his fitness and be in and around our group as an experienced player.”Ben Rohrer, the left-handed batsman who initially missed selection for the Blues’ squad, has replaced O’Keefe for the tournament after some impressive displays in recent weeks.”Rohrs had a slow start to preseason with a couple of injuries,” Johnston said. “He never got a chance to bat in the middle and missed out on our Maroochydore pre-season camp. It was a difficult decision to leave him out, especially with his experience.”He came back though, as the true professional that he is, and got a double-century in a 50-over Premier Cricket game and a 90 in an intra-squad trial so he just proved to us that he hasn’t gone anywhere.”Another man who may benefit from O’Keefe’s absence is Chris Green, the young offspinner who may now find himself bowling in tandem with Nathan Lyon.

Brighton and Hove Albion starlet Moises Caicedo is “very interested” in joining Arsenal this summer, according to journalist Charles Watts.

Who will Arsenal sign this summer?

Of the plethora of targets linked with a move to north London recently, Caicedo features among the most prominent, with reports suggesting that central midfield additions are of top priority.

Arsenal missed out on a first league title in nearly 20 years to Man City last season, despite being in pole position for much of the campaign, and it is the task of transfer chief Edu to back Mikel Arteta with fresh faces.

There is a case to be made that injuries to the likes of William Saliba hampered their momentum towards the back end of 2022/2023 – emphasizing the need to strengthen in key areas.

Premier League stars are attracting serious interest from Arsenal, namely West Ham’s Declan Rice and City captain Ilkay Gundogan, with Caicedo also regularly mentioned by the press.

As well as the aforementioned names, the Gunners could look abroad for right-back signings, as Galatasary’s Sacha Boey and Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresneda enter the forefront of Arsenal’s thinking.

Going back to Caicedo, reliable reporter Watts, formerly of GOAL and football.london, has shared an update on Arsenal’s links to the 21-year-old.

Ecuador’s star, who has dazzled for Brighton last season under Roberto De Zerbi, is apparently “very interested” in joining Arsenal.

However, while he is open to a north London move, Arteta and co may have to act quickly as Chelsea are also very much in the frame to sign him.

Who is Moises Caicedo?

The South American ace, who featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last year, has been called one of Brighton’s “exceptional” players by members of the press.

As per WhoScored, this certainly holds up, with Caicedo standing out as a key defensive player last season.

The midfield enforcer averaged more tackles and interceptions per 90 than any other Brighton star over 2022/2023, backing his real quality and imperiousness in front of a back four.

If Arsenal are indeed keen to provide some cover in that position, Caicedo may well stand out as a real potential asset, though reports suggest the Gunners may have to spend around £70 million.

Liverpool are now "close to completing" the signing of Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Do Liverpool want to sign Mac Allister?

The Argentine has arguably emerged as the Reds' primary transfer target in the summer window, with Jude Bellingham now expected to join Real Madrid. The Brighton man has been endlessly linked with joining Liverpool in recent months, following a memorable season that has seen him win the World Cup with Argentina and score 10 goals in the Premier League.

While there is interest in Mac Allister from various clubs at the moment, it does feel as though the Reds are the strong front-runners to acquire his signature, as they look to add some much-needed quality and youth in the middle of the park.

A new update has only further strengthened the feeling that the 24-year-old is Anfield-bound.

How close is Reds deal for Mac Allister?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Mac Allister is expected to say goodbye to his teammates and seal a move to Liverpool in the near future:

"Alexis Mac Allister, expected to bid his farewell to Brighton fans after final game after his fantastic experience at the club since 2020. He’s prepared to leave the club in June with Liverpool frontrunners — close to complete the deal, waiting on final details."

This is fantastic news for Liverpool, with Mac Allister such a perfect addition to their midfield this summer, coming in and occupying one of the No.8 roles. His aforementioned tally of 10 goals in the league outlines the end product he can provide – in comparison, the Reds' highest-scoring midfield player in 2022/23 is Curtis Jones, who only has three strikes to his name.

It is the Argentina international's off-the-ball work and box-to-box style that also stand out, though, having averaged two tackles per game in the league and 1.3 key passes per match at the World Cup. At 24, he appears to be in the age range that Liverpool need to be looking at, with their current midfield options either ageing, from Jordan Henderson to Thiago, or still so young, whether it be Stefan Bajcetic or Harvey Elliott.

Mac Allister's injury record is also largely exemplary, which is also absolutely vital – Paul Ince has hailed him as an "all-round player", too – considering the fitness woes of the likes of Thiago, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this season, with the trio starting just 21 Premier League matches between them.

Spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and fast bowler Mohammed Shami, have been rested once again as India named an unchanged 14-man squad for the remaining two ODIs against New Zealand. The three bowlers had been left out of the squad for the first three ODIs too, keeping in mind a heavy Test schedule in the 2016-17 home season.Batsman Suresh Raina was not included in the squad because he was yet to regain full fitness after an illness. Raina had made a comeback to the ODI squad for the New Zealand series but was unable to play any of the first three games.Ashwin, Jadeja and Shami played all three Tests in India’s 3-0 sweep of New Zealand, bowling 146.3, 144 and 75.1 overs respectively. India have a five-Test series coming up against England in November and December, a one-off Test against Bangladesh, and then a four-Test series against Australia in February and March 2017.India lead the five-ODI series against New Zealand 2-1 after winning the third match in Mohali by seven wickets. The fourth game is in Ranchi on October 26.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav

تمكن فريق صن داونز من الفوز على نظيره الموريتاني نواذيبو بهدفين دون رد، خلال المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وحل صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي ضيفًا على نواذيبو، في الجولة الخامسة من مباريات البطولة القارية.

وسجل جوموليمو كيكانا هدف صن داونز الأول في الدقيقة 21 من عمر الشوط الأول، فيما أضاف تيمبينكوسي لورش الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 90+1.

طالع أيضاً.. ترتيب مجموعة الأهلي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. (مباشر)

بهذا الفوز، يحتل فريق صن داونز وصافة ترتيب المجموعة الأولى، برصيد 10 نقاط، فيما يتواجد نواذيبو بالمركز الثالث، ولديه 4 نقاط.

وحسم مازيمبي وصن داونز التأهل لدور الـ8 من دوري أبطال إفريقيا، ومواجهتهما القادمة ستحسم المتصدر والوصيف. 

وتضم المجموعة الأولى كلًا من، بيراميدز ومازيمبي الكونغولي وصن داونز الجنوب إفريقي ونواذيبو الموريتاني.

جدير بالذكر أن بيراميدز خسر أمام مازيمبي بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، لتنتهي آماله في التأهل إلى دور الـ8 من دوري أبطال إفريقيا وذلك قبل الجولة الأخيرة من مواجهات دور المجموعات.

Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho just doesn't fit the system at Anfield, claims RedMenTV host, Ste Hoare.

The 20-year-old joined the Reds last summer and after initially impressing early on this season, things haven't quite gone to plan.

In fact, he's played just eight Premier League minutes in 2023, and that could be down to Jurgen Klopp's tactics.

What's the latest on Fabio Carvalho's future at Liverpool?

The former Fulham midfielder has been linked with a move away from Anfield, but the club are only prepared to let him go out on loan, recently rejecting a £10m bid from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

With the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister, and reports suggesting Liverpool are pursuing several midfielders, there's going to be plenty of competition in the middle of the park for the club, and it seems Carvalho won't fit into plans this season.

A number of Premier League sides, including his former club Fulham are interested in taking the Portuguese youngster on loan, with several offers currently on the table, but it remains to be seen where he'll end up.

What has Ste Hoare said about Fabio Carvalho and Liverpool?

Despite Carvalho's struggles at Liverpool this season, Hoare believes it's not down to talent, but a lack of fit in Klopp's system that has caused the £16m-rated midfielder problems this year.

Speaking to Football FanCast, the RedMenTV host said:

"It's mad because Liverpool tried so hard to sign Carvalho. They beat so many teams, they paid more than they needed to make sure they got him.

"They really liked what they saw and by all accounts, he is a good player, he just doesn't fit the system."

How did Fabio Carvalho perform this season compared to last year?

While making the move from Fulham and Championship football, to one of the Premier League's biggest sides in Liverpool was always going to be tough, Carvalho's spell in Merseyside has seen his game time and output drop drastically.

Across the board, the 20-year-old's statistical numbers have all decreased this year, which is hardly a surprise given his lack of regular minutes.

Last year, the midfielder completed 1.2 dribbles per game for Fulham, seeing that number drop dramatically to 0.2 per game for Klopp's men this season, whilst his WhoScored average rating dropped from 7.11 at Fulham to 6.37 for the Reds, and he went from completing 1.7 key passes per game at Craven Cottage, to a measly 0.1 this campaign.

At 20 years old, there's still plenty of time for Carvalho, who is sponsored by Nike, to turn his Liverpool career around and a spell out on loan may be the catalyst in that, but if he doesn't fit the system now, who's to say he will when he comes back.

The only specialist bowler over 30 in the ODI squad playing against New Zealand, Amit Mishra has enjoyed how they have had several plans in place before going out onto the field

Arun Venugopal in Mohali22-Oct-20161:20

Kumble makes us mentally strong – Mishra

Amit Mishra is one of three men over 30 in India’s squad for the ODIs against New Zealand. He is the leader of the spin attack, yet he has played only 33 matches, six more than the second spinner Axar Patel. He came into the series having not played any ODI cricket since October 2015, and may well go out once the resting R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja return.But with six wickets in two games, including that of Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s century-maker in Delhi, Mishra has done his prospects no harm. He is on top of the bowling charts, and is in demand for bowling tips.”Whenever youngsters come and ask me, I give them advice,” Mishra said. “It happens during the games too, and in meetings if I feel I can share something. I don’t add any unnecessary pressure, but whenever I have felt the need to offer small tips, I do. I am really enjoying this duty of supporting youngsters.”Mishra is enjoying a dynamic where he shares his knowledge with the side and learns from coach Anil Kumble at the same time.”Anil is very helpful. When I didn’t play in a Test match, he would still tell me how to bowl, what pace I need to bowl for a wicket, what field I should bowl to and what are the strengths of the batsman. His experience has been helpful not just for me, but for everyone. Despite being a bowler himself, he shares batting tips to the tailenders which will be helpful in crucial matches, as to how to bat when you have a proper batsman around you.”When asked if his patchy batting form could be a reason for him not finding a permanent place in the limited-overs side, Mishra smiled and suggested he had no clue. He did concede that he played a “bad shot” in the Delhi ODI which India lost by six runs. Needing 60 to win off 55 balls and only two wickets in hand, Mishra went for a slog sweep against part-time bowler Martin Guptill and was caught off a top-edge.”It was the requirement of the match,” he said. “At that time, if I’d played positively against the spinner maybe it would have helped the team but if he hadn’t caught we could have finished the game maybe even with two overs to spare. Next time, I will look to take my time before trying to finish the game.”Mishra, though, was pleased with the way a young bowling attack has been able to have plans at the ready to combat various situations. “Whenever we need to put pressure, we try and apply it or take wickets,” he said. “Maybe sometimes all the strategies don’t work, but our second line of defence has always been good and it works.”As spinners we always talk about going for wickets irrespective of situation. Sometimes the situation is such that we have to take a step back, like during the last game. We have two plans all the time, sometimes we go back, reassess and go to Plan B. This time also we will always head into the game with two or three plans. So even if the second doesn’t work, the third will.”

Jurgen Klopp was left angered at one incident involving Roberto Firmino in Liverpool's 4-4 draw away to Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

How did Liverpool fare at Southampton?

The Reds faced their final game of a hugely disappointing season, making the trip to an already-threatened Saints side who have also struggled in their own right. Fifth place was the best that Klopp's side could hope for going into the match, and it proved to be a crazy game at St Mary's, with neither side having much to play for.

Diogo Jota capitalised on a dreadful misplaced pass by rumoured Liverpool transfer target Romeo Lavia to give the visitors the lead, before Firmino made it 2-0 in his last-ever match in a Reds shirt.

Southampton fought back impressively, however, with James Ward-Prowse reducing the arrears with a well-taken effort, before Kamaldeen Sulemana equalised with a shot that Caoimhin Kelleher failed to keep out.

Early in the second half, he then put the hosts with a curled finish from the edge of the penalty area, as the Reds fell to pieces on the south coast, with some of the defending on show summing up their struggles in that area throughout the season.

Substitute Adam Armstrong made it 4-2 just after coming in to seemingly compound Liverpool's misery, but Cody Gakpo and Jota scored in the space of a few minutes to make it 4-4.

What did Firmino do wrong v Saints?

Taking to Twitter, Ian Doyle spotted Klopp's anger at one moment involving Firmino during the first half, in which he failed to make life easy for teammate Curtis Jones:

"Klopp not happy with Firmino after one very strongly hit pass gave Jones not much chance to control."

In truth, this wasn't a day to be too bothered about Firmino's negative involvement against Saints, instead focusing on a legendary career from the Brazilian.

The £180,000-a-week attacker has been a true modern-day great at Anfield, scoring 111 goals and registering 79 assists, with his selfless style the perfect foil for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at his peak.

He should be remembered as one of the most influential figures of the Klopp era, arriving in 2015 and spending eight iconic years on Merseyside, winning the Champions League and Premier League, among numerous other trophies. It is great to see him bow out with a goal in both his final home game and last-ever match for Liverpool, too, and the hope is that he continues to enjoy the rest of his career, wherever he ends up.

West Indies Women have picked 30-year-old uncapped allrounder Erva Giddings for the first three ODIs of the five-match series against England Women, which starts from October 8

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2016

West Indies Women have picked 30-year-old uncapped allrounder Erva Giddings for the first three ODIs of the five-match series against England Women, which starts from October 8.WI Women’s ODI squad

Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed (vice-capt), Merissa Aguilleira, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Erva Giddings, Stacy-Ann King, Hayley Matthews, Shaquana Quintyne, Tremayne Smartt
In: Erva Giddings
Out: Kyshona Knight, Kycia Knight, Shakera Selman

The 13-member squad does not include Kyshona and Kycia Knight and Shakera Selman, who were part of the World T20-winning team earlier this year. Offspinner Anisa Mohammed has been appointed vice-captain.Giddings, who bowls medium-pace, was invited to attend the West Indies Women’s training camp in Jamaica last month. She had earlier been picked in the West Indies side for the tour of Pakistan in 2008-09, which was called off due to security reasons.The first two matches between West Indies and England – on October 8 and 10 – will be played at the Trelawney Stadium, Florence Hall. The last three matches, at Kingston’s Sabina Park on October 14, 16 and 19, will be counted for points in the ICC Women’s ODI Championship.West Indies are second on the table, with 20 points from 15 matches, while England trail them by one point. Australia Women, who lead the group with 30 points, have already secured their place in the 2017 Women’s World Cup.The top four teams at the end of the ICC Women’s Championship will gain direct entry into next year’s World Cup, while the bottom four teams will have to play the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier with six other regional qualifiers. The top four sides in the Qualifier will then advance to the World Cup.